Monday, May 5, 2014

Prose and DFWcons

All right, you guys. Real talk. These last few months have been the most stressful, challenging, miserable months since... pretty much ever. And now that I'm finally out from under it, I can tell you the tale.

See, I was going like gangbusters trying to get my second book written, and teach a night course, and help with DFWcon, and get two classes prepped for the aforesaid con. Everything came to a head last week: book was due on Monday, programs/schedules had to be finalized by Tuesday, the last conference meeting and bag-stuffing was Wednesday, night course finished on Thursday, and Friday found me crying discreetly at the pre-con mixer because I was supposed to teach a class the next day and wasn't even half ready for it. At one point, I was up for 36 hours straight. It was ruinous, absolutely insane, and I never, ever want to be that crunched ever again.

HOWEVER.

Let me tell you what the victory lap looked like. Let me tell you how completely worth it all that agony was. Let me tell you what a fantastic time I had, and how many super-awesome people I met, and how many (now former) total strangers came up to me and said, "Oh my God. Your class was amazing. My mind – you blew it. I seriously can't even deal with your realness."

(And if any of y'all from the "Punching Up Your Prose" class are reading this, look at that last paragraph again. Yeah, it's one of those!)

This was me. This was what I did.

So let me write this real quick and sloppily, before the glitter wears off and I start second-guessing it. Are you ready, world? Here it is: this what I just did is without question what I was put on this earth to do. I want to write awesome books, and I want to help other people write awesome books. That's it. That is my talent. That is the goal.

So here's how it's going to happen.

1. Going to send the two class presentations to all the awesome folks who signed up for them. That's job #1.

2. Going to resurrect this blog here, do more fun cool stuff. I definitely want to do more GrammatiCats (the posts take so much longer to write than you would think, but maybe we can run them once or twice a month). I also want to start showcasing other authors – because man, I know so many truly first-rate fictioneers, and the world desperately needs to pick up what they're throwing down.

3. Going to work on doing more classes. Maybe online, maybe in person, probably both. (Y'all holler at me if you have any genius ideas or secret leads on this front.) Not sure yet how that will shake out, but I'll tell you this right now: I am not waiting for DFWcon 2015 to do this again.

And whether I blew your mind in the last 3 days or have been sporadically ignoring you for the last 3 months: if you're reading this right now, please know that I am so, so grateful to know you and have you in my posse. I will never know how I got lucky enough to have this life, but I intend to make really damn sure the world is better off because of it.People are all like, "oh, it's okay, don't cry." No. This is DFWcon. If you're not crying, you're not trying.

It was amazing to meet you at DFW Con. I agree, Punching Up your Prose was amazing and brought stuff I learned in Style to new applications. I'm a word nerd and that is the kind of stuff I thrive off of!

Oh, Laura, thank you so much for saying so (and for being so cheerfully front-and-center!) I can tell right away that you are a serious grammar-fan - so if this what I'm doing gets the thumbs-up from somebody as word-tacular as you, I will consider that a double compliment!

Seriously, that Punching Up Your Prose class blew me away! I thought it would be good, but THAT good? That's master-level teaching right there. You actually made Latin and Ye Olde English Grammare entertaining and relevant to us all. Best class at the conference IMO. I'm glad you've found your bliss, Tex. God knows you worked hard enough these last few months looking for it!

Aw, thank you so much, dudette - and I know I've said so, but I gotta keep shouting it from the rooftops: thank you so, so much for being my buddy in the trenches over these last couple of months. I don't think I've ever had a conversation with you when I wasn't under the gun, and now that I'm out from under it, I am SO looking forward to getting to know you properly, and doing for you at least some of what you've so generously done for me. Mark your calendar, girlfriend - I am coming for you!!

How awesome that you managed to pull all that off! It sounds wonderful and invigorating and life-changing -- and awesome!

I've been teaching for 25 years (fourth & fifth graders). I've published 3 books. And I still have NO IDEA how to make a proposal to speak or teach at a writing conference, and I'm not sure I have the courage to put myself out there and try.

I will trade you! Anybody who can ride herd on a room full of ten-year-olds clearly already has guts and daring to spare - but I would be happy to help you translate it to the adult literary sphere! (Seriously, please ping me if you would like to do that - I am still a relative newbie myself, but I already know for a fact that the world needs what you have to offer, and I would be absolutely delighted to help you make those connections!)

Laura, seriously - thank you so much for all your enthusiasm - not just for me and my stuff, but through the whole conference and the months leading up to it. I really didn't do everything I wanted with the DFWcon blog, but every time I got a comment notification, I KNEW it would make my day, because it was yours. I'm so glad we could show you a good time - I can't think of anyone who deserved it more!

As the person that put much of that on your plate, I truly apologize - but not really. I knew you could do it, and I have faith in what you are capable. I told you that when you were editing RABBIT SLAYER and I am honored to have it's pieces torn apart by you.

Oh, dude, totally. Don't ever apologize. If anything, I should be thanking you. I would NEVER have had the guts to ask to be on programming without you cheerleading for me last year, and I so, so appreciate the opportunity to be part of the DFWcon crew. I cannot freakin' WAIT to hear the great news about Rabbit Slayer - you have earned it like eighteen times over.

Dude, thank you so, so much for hanging with me over these last couple of months. I know I've been the worst pen pal ever, but like I was saying to DD up above - it feels SO awesome to have made to the other side here, and I am so looking forward to actually getting to know you!

It was SO amazing meeting you at DFWCON!!!! You are so amazing and such a gifted teacher! May the 4th be with you! You inspired me to reach my life long goal of climbing everest. I start my training on Tuesday!!

I thought I posted a comment to this post early in the week, but I was on my iPhone so I guess I should have known. If I'd known you were going through all that I would have given you a big hug! Anyway...like I told you at the conference, your class was the best one I attended all weekend...and that includes Donald Maas's Friday session. You were brilliant...and real! I'm looking forward to getting to know you better and I know that orbiting your world will make me a better writer!

Dude, it's a good thing you didn't, cuz if you'dve given me so much as a light squeezle, I would've started leaking on the spot. It was intense!

But it was also the highlight of the year - not least for finally getting to meet you in the flesh! - and I am SO glad to get to be a part of your winning team. (And none of this orbiting-satellite business, either - we are a binary star system that is going to blind the masses with our radiant bad-assery!)